It was said of a particularly austere prime minister of Britain that his smile was like a silver plate on a coffin, but he was one of Britain’s best prime ministers. It has been said of Mr Gordon Brown that he is dour but that is an example of the famous British tradition of understatement.

He was never popular but after a prolonged wait he inherited the leadership of an unenthusiastic Labour Party and the post of prime minister from the charismatic Mr Tony Blair.

Mr Brown inherited a disenchanted populous from his predecessor who overstayed his welcome and appeared somewhat subservient to then US President Mr George Bush. His problems were compounded by a global financial crisis, but as a successful Chancellor of the Exchequer, he seemed admirably suited to a landscape of economic warfare.

Mr Brown was seen as a Churchill against the Blitzkrieg of financial contagion. His performance was good not only in Britain but he provided decisive leadership in the international community to contain and recover from an unprecedented global crisis. He articulated a course of action and mobilised others still stunned by the suddenness and severity of the financial tsunami.

He understood that the world is a single economic organism though devoid of a single political authority to manage the erratic gyrations of unregulated global markets and waves of irrational, speculative exuberance and panic that become contagions of ruin with the press of the wrong button.

It requires Mr Brown’s type of solid, even if unexciting leadership, to rationalise multilateral cooperation into the reality of multilateral coordination of economic policy. He always exhibited a concern to liberate the poorest countries from the shackles of unpayable debt and was in the forefront of debt relief schemes for the highly indebted developing countries. It is ironic that popularity prevailed over pragmaticism and he exits the political stage at the very time that his skills are most needed.

He has learnt what every cricketer knows by dint of experience. If you bat at the end of a very long innings your tenure is likely to be short either by the unforeseen act of God or the act of man which went before. His was not an exciting innings to be recounted where decibel thumps the cerebral. However, his was a valuable innings appreciated especially by the political aficionado. The British may yet rue his absence when the test of policy is in the hands of those whose flashy stroke play at the campaign level flattered, only to deceive when it matters.

The irony is that in politics, popularity triumphs over performance, but it is performance that is needed in government. Mr Brown’s political acumen was never in doubt as a key strategist and co-leader with Mr Blair of “new” labour which has been in power for 13 years.

But his true calling may have been as finance minister but ambition knows no limit in politicians. His most memorable achievements are in economic policy where his early recapitalisation of British banks in the global financial crisis of 2008 set the template that was followed by Europe and the USA. He is justifiably hailed for his leadership in the G-20 group.

Alas! a prophet is not without honour save in his own land.

The British people may not have been decisive but they have decided. And we wish to congratulate Conservative leader, Mr David Cameron and wish for him and the emerging coalition all the very best.